Doing more with less

The case for Financial Instruments in the next multiannual EU budget

An important part of the EU financial system relies on institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group implementing EU financial instruments that complement and leverage the EU budget.

In its role as the EU Bank, the EIB Group is successfully managing key EU programmes such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), External Lending Mandate (ELM), Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) and InnovFin which provide EU value added for all citizens by increasing investment and competitiveness, boosting growth and creating jobs.

The EIB Group’s loans and guarantees, the advice we provide and the initiatives we support are the concrete evidence of the EU’s importance to businesses and lives across Europe.

Going forward the EIB Group is vital to allow the EU to «do more with less» and leverage the EU budget in the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

About the conference

The “doing more with less” conference organised by the EIB, brings together top-level policy-makers from public institutions. Confirmed speakers include the President of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer and the President of the European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, as well as Lilyana Pavlova, Minister for Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

EIB Vice-Presidents Alexander Stubb, Ambroise Fayolle and Vazil Hudák will be moderating panels on financial instruments within and outside of the EU and in cohesion policy. The panelists include, Members of the European Parliament, Iskra Mihaylova, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, and  Jan Olbrycht, as well as senior representatives from financial institutions, the European Commission and several EU institutions. Registrations for this event are closed. 

• See the full event programme

Panel overview

Panel 1 - Financial Instruments inside the EU

Significant investment gaps will remain in the years after 2020. Innovation, education and skills, business dynamism and entrepreneurship as well as smart infrastructure will all require considerable investment if we are to pave Europe’s path towards competitiveness and inclusive growth. The question remains how to fill these gaps in times of shrinking budgets and new priorities. 

Financial instruments represent a significant opportunity to the EU, crowding-in private and public financing to leverage budget resources. Whilst FIs are not an answer for all challenges, there may well be untapped potential for an innovative investment approach in a number of areas. In this panel we will discuss flexibility, timing and balance between grants and financial instruments and how we can develop even more efficient instruments that work harder for the EU in the post-2020 era?

Panel 2 - Financial Instruments outside the EU

Development policy is facing enormous challenges that require huge financial investment. For the Sustainable Development Goals to be met it is estimated that around EUR 2.3 trillion is needed annually in developing countries alone. Addressing the impact of migration requires not only short-term measures in host and transit countries but also a lasting investment to ensure economic resilience in countries of origin. The EU’s commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation also requires serious investment across the globe.

This panel seeks to explore the ways in which the EU can best use the limited financial resources at its disposal to leverage the magnitude of financing needed. This will need to include crowding-in of the private sector, a move towards more loans and guarantees, and the use of innovative financial instruments.

Discover the EIB’s financial instruments at work outside Europe

Panel 3 - Financial Instruments in Cohesion Policy

Around 30 % of the EIB annual financing volume supports economic and social cohesion and convergence (more than 200 bn euro for the last 10 years). Our loans also facilitate substantially the implementation of ESIF by providing part of the national co-financing for the implementation of grant-based projects.

This panel intends to show that financial instruments are a powerful tool to achieve more with less also in cohesion policy. Panellists are invited to identify bottlenecks, which have to be tackled/measures which could facilitate and improve the implementation of financial instrument in the post 2020 multiannual EU budget.

Discover how the EIB’s financial instruments help each region to achieve its full potential